As the blaze spread from the hillsides above Santa Paula, down toward the small city and west to Ventura, thousands were forced to flee their homes, multiples structures were destroyed and reports continued to come in about others on fire.

"I personally have never seen structures destroyed in Ventura County like this. We're doing everything we can to keep in front of this thing," said Rich Macklin, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department.

The wind, gusting 60 mph and higher earlier in the night, had started to pick up again, he said.

Earlier, authorities said one person was killed while attempting to flee when a car overturned on Foothill Road. A firefighter also was injured, Macklin said. He was taken to a hospital and was reported in stable condition.

A fast-moving fire is affecting an area between Santa Paula and Ojai.(Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/VENTURA COUNTY FIRE)

First reported about 6:20 p.m. near Steckel Park, the fire grew from 50 to 100 acres in minutes. Flames quickly jumped Highway 150, which cuts a path from Ojai to Santa Paula, a city of about 35,000 on the eastern end of the Ventura County.

By 2:30 a.m., the fire had spread to 26,000 acres.

“The prospects for containment are not good, really Mother Nature is going to decide when we have the ability to put it out because it is pushing hard," Lorenzen said at an 11 p.m. news briefing.

A Ventura County Sheriff's deputy goes door to door on Cherry Hill Road in Santa Paula as officials enforce a mandatory evacuation in response to the Thomas Fire late Monday.
ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR

A Ventura County Sheriff's deputy goes door to door on Cherry Hill Road in Santa Paula as officials enforce a mandatory evacuation in response to the Thomas Fire late Monday.
ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR

Because of the strong winds and low visibility, few aircraft were flying Monday night, but that was expected to change at dawn.

Officials said they had asked for eight air tankers and a dozen helicopters to help fight the blaze.

The plan tomorrow is to “work edges of the fire to keep it out of the neighborhoods," Lorenzen said.

With winds like this, it makes it harder for firefighters, he said. But a lot of what they can do is what they’re doing: Getting ahead of it and doing evacuations.

Ventura, Oxnard elementary, Hueneme and Santa Paula school districts said campuses would be closed Tuesday.

Along with the shelter at the fairgrounds in Ventura, the Red Cross opened up Nordhoff High School in Ojai for residents affected by the fire.

The Humane Society of Ventura County, also in Ojai, was accepting large and small animals. Earlier Monday, some people took horses to the livestock area at the fairgrounds trying to escape the smoke and fire in Santa Paula.